excerpted from copyright © 2010 by alex harris and brett ... · tion against society’s low...

Excerpted from Start Here by Alex Harris and Brett Harris with Elisa Stanford Copyright © 2010 by Alex Harris and Brett Harris with Elisa Stanford. Excerpted by permission of Multnomah Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

One of the great things God is doing through the Rebelution

is uniting young people to do hard things together. We’ve

found that linking arms with like-minded friends is one of the

best ways to figure out what hard things God is calling us to do.

It’s also one of the best ways to become more like Christ in our

actions and attitudes. And as you may have already discovered,

working with others to do hard things—or simply to get encour-

agement and ideas for your own project—can be a lot of fun.

So as you start (or continue) doing hard things, we encour-

age you to get together with a group of friends and talk about

what it looks like to do hard things right where God has placed

you. You can use the following questions as a personal study

guide, but they have been designed especially for group discus-

sion. We’ve tried to come up with questions that will help you

revisit the big ideas of each chapter as well as talk about how they

apply to you and your group of fellow rebelutionaries.

Want some advice for making the conversation really worth-

while? Here you go: Pray and invite Jesus to be at the center of

your group. Be as honest as you can with each other. Look it up

in the Bible when you’ve got a question. Treat your time together

as a launching pad for action in doing hard things.

The group of disciples who surrounded Jesus went on to turn

the world upside down. We can’t wait to hear what you and your

friends are going to do!

Your fellow rebelutionaries,

Alex and Brett Harris

Start Here final:Master 5-3/16 x 8 1/20/10 12:34 PM Page 145

Chapter 1

You Are Here: Opening the Door to Your

Own Rebelution

This book is about taking the next step in your personal rebelu-

tion against society’s low expectations for teens. As young people

around the world have discovered, doing hard things is the most

satisfying—and exciting—way to live. Start Here will help you

get started right where you are.

1. How do you respond to the idea of “a teenage rebellion

against low expectations” (page 2)?

2. If you have read Do Hard Things, how has it changed

your perspective on the teen years? Has it changed the

way you think or act in any way? If so, how?

3. What is your biggest hope for what you get out of this

book? What do you hope for as you begin, or continue,

to do hard things?

4. If you were writing a question for this book, what would

it be?

Chapter 2

Getting Started: What That First Step Looks Like

Doing hard things to glorify God knocks selfishness out of the

picture. We can follow God’s calling without worrying about

whether we get noticed for it. Being a leader or being a follower,

doing small hard things or doing big hard things, accomplishing

something big right now or preparing for the future—all this is

secondary to having an attitude that is open to God’s direction

and purpose.

Keeping this in mind will help you answer the question we

1 4 6 S T A R T H E R E


all ask at some point: Where do I start? This chapter offers ideas

about how to move forward for the right reasons.

1. How does our attitude toward doing something change

when we do it to glorify God? Why?

2. Do you know what hard thing God is calling you to do?

If you do, what is it and why is it important to you? If

you don’t, what do you think is the next step in figuring

it out?

3. What small hard things is God calling you to do before

(or while) you do big hard things?

4. When has someone else’s willingness to do a small hard

thing made a difference in your life?

5. Go back and look over the stories of Elisabeth, Charity,

Matthew, Hannah, and Ian. Which of these people do

you identify with most? Why?

6. What’s the one biggest thing that’s keeping you from

moving ahead and doing something hard? If God were

sitting beside you, what do you think He would tell

you about this problem? If you are in a group, what

can the other group members do to help you take the

next step?

Chapter 3

When You Have a Great Idea: Practical Help

for Making It Work

Making a plan. Getting people on your side. Raising money.

These are some of the practical issues that have to be considered

when you’re starting a big project. This chapter offers tips that

have helped teens get their projects underway.

1 4 7D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S


1. Where would you say you are right now in getting your

project going? Clear on your goal but not sure how to

go for it? Moving along nicely? Some progress but feel-

ing stuck?

2. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you get started:

• What are my limits?

• What do I bring to the table? What can others

contribute?

• What are others already doing? What can I learn

from them?

• Who knows more than I do about this?

• What can I read about this topic?

• What is my goal?

• What do I need to do first to move from planning

to doing?

3. Which is the most relevant question for where you are

at right now? How would you answer that question?

4. What are the practical realities you’re facing as you get

started on your project?

5. How do your parents feel about your project? Your

friends?

6. What comes to mind when you think of telling people

about your project? Do you think it will be easier to

approach people you know or to approach strangers?

Why?

7. How much money is your project going to cost? What

ideas do you have about coming up with that money?

(Fund-raising ideas can be fun to brainstorm as a

group.)

1 4 8 S T A R T H E R E


Chapter 4: Side Effects May Occur:

Handling the Changes That Come

with Doing Hard Things

Doing hard things will bring challenges that you never expected.

The good news is that God invites you to grow closer to Him as

you deal with the effects of doing hard things. The changes you

go through as a person are part of what God has called you to—

and they’re part of doing hard things.

1. Briefly describe a time when you received affirmation

for doing hard things. How did you respond? How did

the affirmation make you feel?

2. What are some ways that rebelutionaries can use the

attention they receive to glorify God? How does an

accomplishment like Zac Sunderland’s bring glory to

God (see pages 49–51)?

3. How have you struggled with pride as you’ve done hard

things?

4. In this chapter busyness is defined as having a lot to do

and fruitfulness as accomplishing something of eternal

significance. How have you seen the difference between

busyness and fruitfulness in your own life?

5. What changes could you make in your day (take today

or yesterday, for example) that would give you more

time to be fruitful rather than just busy?

6. If anyone has asked you for an interview about some-

thing hard you’ve done, how did that go? What can you

do to prepare for that possibility in the future? Do you

think doing interviews is something that will come

easily for you? Why or why not?



Chapter 5

Matters of First Importance: Keeping God in Focus

Every Step of the Way

There’s something more important than doing hard things for

God. It’s knowing Him. It’s enjoying Him. It’s loving Him. It’s

being with Him. This isn’t to discourage you from doing hard

things—not at all! It’s to encourage you to do hard things while

keeping your relationship with God your highest priority. As you

draw closer to God, you’ll have the strength and wisdom to do

even more hard things for His glory.

1. Has doing hard things been good or bad for your

relationship with God? Explain.

2. If someone looked at your thoughts and activities

yesterday, would he or she say that it appeared God

was the center of your life? Why or why not?

3. “Putting God at the center of our lives is not a vague

act of obedience. It is the only sensible response—to

Someone we need and long to know more” (page 67).

Would you say your obedience to God comes more

from a vague sense of guilt or a desire for relationship?

Why?

4. Think about your motives for doing hard things. To

what extent are they about glorifying God? To what

extent are they about glorifying you? How do you

handle these mixed motivations?

5. Grace from Maryland says, “It’s a battle of heart attitude,

for if my heart isn’t in the right place before God, my

actions are worthless. It’s a battle to…follow His plans

for my life, especially when they don’t make sense”

(page 72). How do you relate to these words?

1 5 0 S T A R T H E R E



6. What, if anything, needs to change about the way

you are approaching hard things so that you can keep

growing in your relationship with God?

Chapter 6

When the Doing Gets Tough: Keeping On in the Middle

of Hard Things

One of the myths about teenagers is that teens don’t have the

toughness to stick with something when it gets difficult. But this

is one of the myths we have to bust if we want to do something

for God—and change society’s perception of teenagers.

Problems will come as we do hard things. Instead of being

surprised by them, we can know that persistence in the middle of

hard things is a key to achieving our goal.

1. Think back to when you first had the idea for your big

project. In what ways are you even more excited now

about what you’re doing? In what ways are you more

discouraged?

2. “Overcoming discouragement requires that we con-

tinually remind ourselves that growth is worth the

pain” (page 77). Do you agree with this statement?

Why?

3. Describe a time when you tried to do something hard

for God and it didn’t work out the way you planned. As

you look back now, in what ways can you see God’s

work in that situation?

4. Picture a line that takes you from the beginning of your

project to right now. The higher the line is, the better

you feel about your project. The lower it is, the more

discouraged you are. Describe and/or draw the course


of this line. What do you think God would say to you

at your highest point? at your lowest point?

5. How are you feeling about the changes in yourself as

a result of doing hard things? Are you surprised?

disappointed? finding that you haven’t really thought

about it?

6. At the outset, what were your expectations—personally,

spiritually, and relationally—for doing hard things? In

what ways have your expectations been helpful to you?

In what ways might they have hurt you?

Chapter 7

The Guts Factor: How to Move Against the Crowd—

and Why

If you dare to attempt hard things for God, some of the people in

your life might think you’re great. Others might think you’re

crazy. One thing is sure: doing hard things is going to have an

effect on your relationships. Do you have the guts to stick with

what God is calling you to?

1. Since you started doing hard things, has anyone criti-

cized you for missing out on “normal” teenage life?

If so, what was said? How did you respond?

2. Would you say that now you are having more fun, less

fun, or the same amount of fun as you had before doing

hard things? How has your view of “fun” changed, if at

all?

3. How has doing hard things changed your friendships

with, or your reputation among, other young people?

4. Erika (see page 97) describes the harsh reaction she got

1 5 2 S T A R T H E R E


from teachers and students for promoting a pro-life

position. When has persecution affected you?

5. “Our goal as Christians is not to avoid getting into

trouble. It’s also not to try to get into trouble. Our goal

is to get into the right kind of trouble” (page 99). How

can you tell the difference between the “right kind of

trouble” and the wrong kind?

6. Describe a book, movie, song, or website that you’re not

sure is a good influence on you. Get advice from others

in the group about whether they think it will bring you

closer to God or push you away from Him—and about

practical steps you can take about it.

Chapter 8

Now What? When Doing Is Done

Whew! When you’re done with a big hard thing, you might feel

proud, let down, tired, or incredibly energized. What are you

going to do with those feelings? What are you going to do next?

Finishing one hard thing and moving on to another reminds us

that being a rebelutionary is not just about what happens while

you’re a teen. It’s also about preparing for an entire lifetime of

loving and glorifying God.

1. When have you seen “godly excitement over doing a

hard thing” lead not to pride but to humility—either in

your life or in someone else’s life?

2. When you’ve come to the end of a big project, have you

ever had a problem with selfish pride? If so, describe it.

3. Describe a time you fell back into a bad habit after doing

something hard. Did you get out of it again? If so, how?



4. Andrew filled a bag with stuff from his room he wanted

to get rid of. Kristin stopped sitting with her old crowd

at lunch. Justin confessed to his boss about stealing

books. Think about one way you want to move beyond

your old ways of thinking and acting. What practical

action could you take to make a permanent change in

your life?

5. Think about the time when you finish the project you

are currently working on. How are you going to cele-

brate? How are you going to rest up? Do you have an

idea of what hard thing you’re going to do next?

6. Has doing hard things ever made you excited about

tackling an even bigger challenge? Talk about it.

Chapter 9

Putting It All Together: Two Stories

That Will Answer All Your Questions

(or at Least Give You Some Great Ideas)

Ana Zimmerman raised more than six thousand dollars to help

end the injustice of abortion. John Moore wrote, produced, and

directed his own film, going on to win the grand prize at the San

Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. In this chapter,

Ana and John provide a step-by-step look at their projects and

how God used those hard things for His glory.

1. What part of Ana’s story do you identify with the

most? Why?

2. What part of John’s story do you identify with the

most? Why?

3. Ana points out that it’s not enough to have high

expectations—we need to have high expectations

1 5 4 S T A R T H E R E


for the right reasons (page 128). What does this

mean?

4. John tells us he was able to accept criticism because he

knew that his first film was not his main goal: “If our

goal was growth, we could love criticism” (page 130).

How have you found that statement to be true in your

own life?

5. John reminds us that “it’s easy to confuse ‘do hard

things’ with the idea of ‘do big things.’ A push-up isn’t a

big thing. Winning a championship is. But doing push-

ups when you don’t feel like it is what it takes to win in

a championship fight” (page 135). Would you say you’re

doing push-ups right now, or are you in the middle of a

championship fight? Why? When have you confused

doing hard things with doing big things?

6. What are some practical ideas you got out of Ana’s and

John’s stories?

Chapter 10

Making It Rain

Start Here wraps up with the image of thousands of young people

making it rain—indoors! After all, when individuals offer their

gifts to God, anything can happen.

1. What story in the book was most challenging to you?

Why?

2. Has the message of doing hard things inspired you to

believe that one young person can make a difference in

a generation? Why or why not?

3. Start Here gives ideas and stories featuring the begin-

ning, middle, and end of hard projects. What are some



of the practical things you learned about each of those

stages?

4. What is one question you would add to this book? How

would you (or your group) answer it?

5. A friend asks you at lunch: “So how do you start doing

hard things?” What do you say?

1 5 6 S T A R T H E R E


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alex and Brett Harris launched TheRebelution.com at sixteen

years old and wrote their first book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage

Rebellion Against Low Expectations, three years later. Natives of the

Pacific Northwest, they are currently finishing up their second

year at Patrick Henry College in northeast Virginia, where Alex

lives with his wife, Courtney.

To contact them, add them on Facebook (facebook.com/

dohardthings), Twitter (twitter.com/therebelution), MySpace

(myspace.com/dohardthings), or e-mail them at book@the

rebelution.com. They’d love to hear your stories and get your

feedback.

For hundreds of articles by Alex and Brett and the ability to

connect with other rebelutionaries around the world, visit The

Rebelution.com. You’ll also find event news and schedules, DVDs,

T-shirts, e-mail updates, and more.

�Elisa Stanford (elisastanford.com) is the author of Ordinary Losses:

Naming the Graces That Shape Us. A writer and editor, Elisa lives

with her husband and two daughters in Colorado.


Start Here final:Master 5-3/16 x 8 1/20/10 12:34 PM 4

excerpted from copyright © 2010 by alex harris and brett ... · tion against society’s low...

Documents